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Early Media Impressions of TGs

Footprints from the Past

Part X

© 1998 by Andee W



Subscribers can review parts: Part I | Part II | Part III | Part IV | Part V | Part VI | Part VII | Part VIII | Part IX

In last month's column, I related two letters from newspaper advice columnists from the 1970's. In the U.S. these columns are very popular and widely read, and in the 70's helped to form a body of opinion that variation from the norm was acceptable, even in the case of cross-dressing. There was still controversial and conflicting views, such as the on-again-off-again gender program at Johns Hopkins University, that shows how far the body of knowledge on this subject has advanced in the past 20 years. Very few knowledgeable gender therapists today advocate a "cure" for transgenderism, and rather attempt to improve the "health" of the individual instead of eradicating a disease. This was not the case years ago when aversion and electroshock therapy was part of the toolkit used to "fix" the cross-dresser, even when they were children or young adolescents.

So it was in the time of feminism and "women’s-lib" that an awakening was happening in the mainstream women’s fashion magazines. Articles covered more than just "how to thin your thighs" and the length of hemlines for the new season. Pivotal in the depth of coverage was a new monthly column in Glamour that continues to this day, Sex and Health. Here in a non-judgmental way advice could be provided that might have broader application beyond the instant question. This month’s letter covered cross-dressing as a subject for the first time. A few words of caution -- you may not like all the advice. This reflects one of the prevailing views (fix-it) at that time.

Glamour Cover

[Question] My boyfriend surprised me recently by dressing for a costume party as a Playboy bunny. Later, he told me that he liked dressing up and asked if I would mind if we went out with him dressed as a female. I’m worried that this could mean that he’s gay, although he assures me that he has no interest in men. What do you think?

[Answer] It’s not unusual for men to dress up as women at costume parties or in plays. But it’s somewhat unusual for a man to say that he enjoys it so much that he’d do it spontaneously, when no occasion calls for it.

A man’s desire to dress in women’s clothing is known as transvestism, or cross-dressing. Men with that desire frequently have sexual problems, and some require dressing in women’s clothing as a condition of getting sexually excited.

Although your boyfriend may have impulses to dress in female clothing, that doesn’t necessarily mean that he has a serious problem. That would only exist if he found it difficult to become sexually excited without dressing as a woman and if he had that pattern for some time.

Some men occasionally like to play with women’s clothing or dress up like a woman in the privacy of their bedrooms, and their sexual partners can accept that behavior as a part of sex play. We think you can believe your boyfriend’s assurance that he isn’t gay. Cross-dressers are usually heterosexual.

If you’ve had a good sexual relationship with your boyfriend, his problem is probably minor. But if there have been sexual differences between the two of you, that’s an indication of a more severe problem requiring professional help. It can definitely be treated in the large majority of cases, especially if the man is motivated to change his behavior.

Some kernels of truth there, that are applicable even today.

Since I have your attention...I’ve nearly finished the new Tom Wolfe novel, A Man in Full. From The Electric Kool-Aid Acid Test to The Right Stuff to Bonfire of the Vanities, Wolfe captures the cultural context of the moment with laser-like precision. I won’t give away the story of A Man in Full, but I did want to excerpt a passage. While not specifically transgender related, it is an interesting observation and commentary on the feminine ideal at the turn of the millennium.

To set the context, Martha is 53 and the protagonist’s (Charlie Croker) ex-wife. Sixty-year old Charlie has remarried a strikingly beautiful mid-20s "trophy bride," and Martha is the oldest women in her class at DefinitionAmerica, an exercise studio, to get in shape so she will be able to get back in "the game" again. Martha’s observation is of the other women in the class:

"...all four of them had long, intentionally tangled hair that looked as if a hurricane had blown through, unimpeded by any bands or barrettes. The very signature of the Rake-a-Cheek Youth at the turn of the century, this hairstyle was, and when the Rake-a-Cheek Youth spun their heads in the torques, the sweat flew from their manes and sprayed Martha on all sides. Oh, they could spin, they could, they could, they could. They had nice wide shoulders and nice narrow hips and nice lean legs and fine definition in the muscles of their arms and backs. They were built like boys, boys with breasts and hurricane manes.

"...only the fear of humiliation kept her from giving up...Every woman (in toute le monde) now knew there was no possible detour around exercise. Only vigorous exercise could help you even remotely approach the feminine ideal of today -- a Boy with Breasts! -- and practically every woman Martha knew in Atlanta, other than those who were irretrievably ancient, joined classes like this. The exercise salons were proliferating like cellular telephones and CD-ROMs. Boys with Breasts! My God, whatever happened to voluptuous...She [Martha] had nice broad shoulders, a nice full bosom, and nice smooth hips and thighs that Charlie had grown rhapsodic over...that was the way she was made! She had never been born to have the shrink-wrapped look these young women wanted, all this definition they talked about! Oh DefinitionAmerica.

"... But that was what Charlie had run off with, a boy with breasts named Serena."

I hope you have enjoyed this month’s letter and the book quote. Next month, we see another letter that opens the door of acceptance a little wider.



Andee is married with two children and lives outside Washington DC.
You can send her email at AndeeW@aol.com.
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